"... this is a magnificent and, in many ways, a unique book – which
is getting to be increasingly rare in books about marketing professional
services."
Bruce Marcus, Author of Client at the Core and publisher
of The Marcus Letter.
"Marketplace Masters makes a significant contribution
to the professional firm marketing field by crafting a compelling case
for the importance of research and analysis in guiding marketing efforts.
These topics are not often addressed in other, supposedly comprehensive,
marketing texts."
David Maister, Consultant and Author, Managing the Professional
Service Firm and The Trusted Advisor.
"Marketplace Masters by Suzanne Lowe provides documented
proof that successful marketing strategies will work in professional
service firms. Her use of case studies from a number of professions
lifts us out of our insular focus on our own industry and gives us direction."
Patty Grimes, Director, Client Services, Torys LLP
"
Marketplace Masters is rich with case studies, insights
and practical advice for anyone seeking to upgrade marketing in professional
service firms. While the distinctive culture of professional service firms
has generally inhibited their adoption of systematic marketing techniques
and processes, this book provides detailed examples of professional service
firms that have recently bucked this trend and begun to improve their
businesses through disciplined implementation of strategic marketing."
Paul Magill, Vice President, Marketing, IBM Global Services
"Drawing on years of research and a rich array of case studies,
Suzanne Lowe conveys the many marketing challenges facing today's professional
services firms and offers insightful advice for overcoming them. Her
argument that firms must go beyond image-based positioning and branding
campaigns to truly differentiate themselves is compelling."
Ken Favaro, Chief Executive, Marakon Associates
“Marketplace Masters is an incisive view of why professional
service firms truly are different, especially in the strategy and new
business arenas. It offers revealing insights on why these firms often
struggle with the challenges of strategy, marketing and business development
-- in ways that are unique to the realm of professional services. You
will find real application lessons on what works and what doesn't. Marketplace
Masters goes well beyond the typical management strategy platitudes
of most business books. It delves into the reality of experiences with
respected professional service firms. It demonstrates the positive impact
of foresight in strategic market implementation, and it backs up its
conclusions with hard research and proven trends. Marketplace Masters
is a must-read for any principal or new business leader in a professional
service company that wants to improve itself or grow.”
Al Potter, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Gilbane
Building Company
"Marketplace Masters is a must read for anyone working
within the Professional Services arena whose firm is mired in marketing
mediocrity. It affords the reader a thorough picture of the unique quantitative
and qualitative marketing challenges experienced by Professional Service
firms, as well as practical ideas and solutions critical to successful
market-driven growth strategy. Through its in-depth research results
and insightful, real-life case study examples Marketplace Masters
provides a comprehensive blueprint to building a sustainable, premier
marketing strategy for Professional Service firms."
Thomas A. Curtin Jr. , Chief Marketing Officer , The Segal Company
"Hard hitting and compelling reading, it offers a brutally accurate
assessment of the Professional Services Industry, as well as a cure."
Tom Markert , Global Chief Marketing Officer , ACNielsen
"Any professional services firm that makes the corporate commitment
to embrace the practical concepts detailed in this book will leapfrog
ahead of its competition by better understanding its markets and clients.
The factual research and case studies eliminate the excuses for avoiding
that commitment."
George Friedel, Former Senior Vice President, Director of Strategic
Sales, Parsons Brinckerhoff
"Marketplace Masters is a 'must read' for leaders of
professional service firms. One of the best researched books ever published
on the topic of marketing professional services. Packed with practical
insights and in-depth examples -- read this before your competition
does!"
Arthur Middlebrooks, Adjunct Professor of Marketing, University
of Chicago Graduate School of Business
"Every managing partner and C-level leader should be required
to read Marketplace Masters. Then they should assess their
own firms’ readiness to build a market-driven infrastructure by
answering the questions in Chapter 8!"
Silvia Coulter, Past President, Legal Marketing Association
